He simply chose to be deaf and continued to speak to himself, "Our relationship had reached a freezing point at the time, and I thought I'd take this opportunity to distance myself from them. Who knew we'd end up fighting again..."
"Honestly, before I met them, I really had no friends, and I had no idea that friendships were like this. Tianrui beating up a group of them all by himself might seem a little silly to me, but it was actually more touching."
Wen Wan had a complicated expression after hearing this, and then she said tactfully, "Brother... I think you need to study the art of language!"
Zhou Ziheng frowned slightly and looked at her with confusion, as if to say that he didn't understand.
Wen Wan: "People fight for you, and you actually think they're stupid. If Senior Qiao could hear this, he would probably be so angry that he would come back to life on the spot."
Her brother Zhou is really good at talking. I was quite moved by the first half of his speech, but after hearing the latter part... I wasn't moved at all!
Her original intention was just to let Zhou Ziheng learn to speak more, but he was stunned when he heard it.
Zhou Ziheng was silent for a while, then he let out a wry smile that was uglier than crying. He sighed and said, "I really hope he can come back to life..."
Wen Wan knew that she had touched upon his sorrow, and her expression suddenly became subtle. She spoke carefully to comfort him, "Brother, don't be sad."
"I have always felt that death is not the real disappearance, because he always lives in the hearts of everyone who remembers him, and forgetting... is the real disappearance."
"A good person like Senior Qiao must have been reincarnated into a happy life now! If fate allows, we might meet again in the future, just like Xiao Yunshu, so... don't be sad anymore!"
"Yeah." Zhou Ziheng replied with a forced smile, then continued, "Later, we reconciled naturally. I thought that friends shouldn't lie to each other, so I decided to be honest."
"Whether they can accept it or not, I shouldn't have hidden this fact from them. Whether they want to continue being friends with me or not is their right. At least I... have a clear conscience!"
"But just when I was about to confess, he asked me first. He asked me if I could see anything else."
That memory kept emerging in his mind, and he seemed to be back in that difficult but beautiful winter.
After being scolded by the director, he and Qiao Tianrui were walking back to the dormitory together.
He hesitated and wanted to confess, but Qiao Tianrui beat him to the punch and asked, "Heng, tell me honestly, can you... see something... that doesn't belong to this world?"
Zhou Ziheng was suddenly startled and his body froze in place. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It took him a long time to finally make up his mind.
In the face of Qiao Tianrui's puzzled eyes, he answered seriously: "Yes!"
It was clearly just one word, but saying it felt like he had used up all his strength. He stood there silently, like a prisoner about to be tried, waiting for the judge's verdict.
He had imagined this day many times, imagined his companions' disgusted looks, disgusted actions, and bad words, but the reality was not as bad as he imagined.
"Ah~ So that's really the case." Qiao Tianrui said with sudden realization, his expression still the same, without disgust or fear.
Zhou Ziheng's face showed a trace of surprise, and he asked in confusion, "You... don't you think it's scary?"
"Why should I... feel scared?" Qiao Tianrui was clearly puzzled, then he said disapprovingly, "There are so many supernatural things. If I were afraid of everything, would I even be able to live?"
"I was wondering why you were acting so strangely at night. That night, when you were hanging clothes on the balcony, you suddenly screamed. Did you see a ghost?"
"Yeah." Zhou Ziheng responded expressionlessly.
Although he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was already surging with turmoil. He was not disliked, nor was he hated...
Qiao Tianrui couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Then when I asked you, why did you say you were fine? What was there to hide? You made me so nervous, I thought you were sick!"
"Later, I asked Jing Shuo and the others, and they also said they had seen you like this. Your reaction didn't seem like you were afraid of the dark, but clearly you saw something, so that's why we guessed that."
"You...you all know?" Zhou Ziheng asked in surprise.
"That's right." Qiao Tianrui nodded in response, "Why are you hiding this from us? What's the big deal? You're not a ghost, you just can see ghosts, so there's no need to be like this!"
Zhou Ziheng just lowered his head silently without saying anything, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Qiao Tianrui earnestly counseled, "You really don't need to take this kind of thing too seriously. Everyone is born different. If you can't get rid of it, then just face it calmly! Just live a comfortable life. Why bother about what others think of you?"
"If someone hates, fears, and distances themselves from you simply because of these things, then that person doesn't deserve to be your friend at all! Those who truly like you will love you no matter what, and those who hate you will hate you even if they can't see ghosts!"
"Speaking of which... your problem isn't serious, is it? Those ghosts won't do anything to you, right? I remember there's a very powerful Taoist priest in my grandmother's hometown. How about I contact him for you?"
Zhou Ziheng looked at him silently, opening his mouth several times to say something, but nothing came out. In the end, all he could say was just two words: "Thank you."
"Huh?" Qiao Tianrui was completely confused and asked in confusion, "Why are you thanking me? It's just a matter of contacting someone. What's there to thank me for?"
Zhou Ziheng knew that Qiao Tianrui had misunderstood. He wanted to thank Qiao Tianrui for his understanding and guidance, not for helping him find someone. After all, if even a Taoist priest with profound skills like Master Li couldn't do anything about it, other Taoist priests would be even more helpless.
But Zhou Ziheng did not explain, because he should also be thanked for this kindness. Then he carefully recounted his story to Qiao Tianrui in full. Since everything had been discovered, there was no need to hide it.
The two of them returned to the dormitory. After Zhou Ziheng thought about it carefully, he explained it again to the other two roommates. Their attitudes were the same as Qiao Tianrui's.
Chen Zui didn't take it seriously at all, and even said with a sly grin, "What's so scary about this? It's so cool to be able to see ghosts! If someone says something bad about you next time, you can use this to scare them!"
"God has bestowed a great mission on this person. Since God has given you this special ability, he must have his intentions!" Yin Jingshuo said with a chuckle.
Qiao Tianrui also echoed, "That's right! There's nothing to be ashamed of!"
After he finished speaking, he didn't continue the topic and instead pushed Zhou Ziheng out, "Come on, let's go eat! We're starving! I guess we'll have to practice all night again tonight!"
The other two also followed with a smile, and the four of them walked out happily side by side.
Zhou Ziheng couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips into a smile, his eyes full of joy.
A person who has been lonely for a long time, at that moment... finally has a friend.
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